Step 2: Cont'd from Step 1

Step 3: Some Additional Pictures from the Build

I am adding some more pics from the Halloween build to illustrate how I built and sheathed the towers. I had another piece of luck by advertising on ...

Okay, so I'm workin' my butt off trying to get ready for Halloween, the theme of which was going to be Gotham City and Animated Series version of Batman, and something I noticed while building these huge structures in my yard to simulate skyscrapers... How easy it would be to make cubicles about 6 1/2 feet by 6 1/2 feet by 7 1/2 feet tall out of the pallets I was using! So, I decided that eventually I would publish a quick rundown and use some of the pics from my Halloween build to illustrate this remarkably easy way of erecting a temporary shelter or shed.

Step 1: Just the facts, Ma'am...

I'm only going to show you the very basics of how I put up the framework, and posting the appropriate pics. This should be enoughn to get you started and you can then take it to whatever level you desire. I had the good fortune to come across an ad on Craigslist for free pallets from a local warehouse. I took my truck and utility trailer over to the place one afternoon, and found that most of the pallets piled up outside of the business were used to ship queen and king-size mattresses! The ones I chose were 76" x 86" and I managed to load nine pallets on the my trailer. The idea was to make a three-sided base, then put up a single piece in front and over the base to simulate a tall building. I laid the pallets out and began by attaching a nice long piece of 2x4 to one end of the front facing pallet. I stood the pallet up and let it lean back just a bit against the board. This kept the pallet in place while I stood up the second pallet at a right angle to the first and screwed the two together. Something I figured out quickly was that I needed to slice off the overhang of the slats on the side pallet in the front so that I could run screws through the slats on the front pallet into the frame on the second pallet that was exposed by the cuts. This made the joint pretty solid.

Thanks for the kind words! I was actually disappointed with my results on the haunt, mainly due to running out of time. I spent a huge amount of time trying to make a life-size Batman fly around the yard and didn't spend enough time finishing out the 'buildings'. On top of that, the day of Halloween we had bad storms come through with gale-force winds, which ruined a large backdrop I had made simulating a cityscape complete with a Batsignal. As Maxwell Smart would say, "Missed it it by THAT much!" lol I do have a couple of pics showing the buildings and one crappy pic with the backdrop in the background. I might upload then here sometime.

Very nice ! My family and I have been doing a home haunt for over 15yrs, it started when the kids thought they were too old to trick or treat, now they are married with kids of their own and business to run . Several years ago we "discovered" used fence panels, a couple of local fence companies give us all we want and it makes building the haunt almost easy ! Used sideways we get 8' walls that are about 6' long used normally but hung higher than "normal" we get between 7 and 8' walls that are 8' long. Do you have more pictures of your Haunt? You can find me on FaceBook @ Correa Court Haunted House. I just realized I haven't made an "ible" about the 2013 Haunt but this one from 2012 has great pics of the walls Im talking about